MIKAEL LUSTIG last night revealed Celtic’s Champions League heroics have even caught the eye of his superstar Sweden team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The towering talisman knows a thing or two about spectacular achievements after his jaw-dropping overhead kick against England last week.

But before big Zlatan scored one of the best goals ever seen it was Celtic’s stunning victory against Barcelona that was the talk of the Swedish dressing room.

Lustig cruised through Celtic’s 2-0 SPL win at Aberdeen on Saturday and said: “Everybody thinks Barcelona are the best team in the world so it was massive in Sweden as well.

“Even Zlatan congratulated me. He is a former Barcelona player and knows most of their players.”

Trumping the tika-taka masters was one thing but Lustig knows it will arguably be an even more remarkable achievement if the Parkhead club can finish the job they started by reaching the last 16.

One point against Benfica could do it. Celtic are tantalisingly close and Lustig believes the great thing about tomorrow night’s clash in the Stadium of Light is it’s now the Portuguese who have no margin of error.

The cool Swede believes Benfica are the ones feeling the heat.

When asked if it was their rivals who are under pressure he said: “Absolutely, they must take three points. There is massive pressure on Benfica.

“Hopefully we can play our football and get a point at least.”

Celtic would snap your hand off for one point but will not be going out to play for the draw. They know it’s too risky.

They will need to stay calm but Lustig admits it would be a huge disappointment if Neil Lennon’s men don’t reach the promised land of the knockout stage now. He said: “We will go to Lisbon looking to win although we might have to tighten up a bit in the last five to 10 minutes.

“Benfica play pretty well although they are a bit more defensive away from home. That happened in the first game. They will be more attacking this time.

“There are still points to play for. Benfica away is probably the second toughest match in the group and facing Spartak at Celtic Park will also be difficult.

“But we know we are close now and want to get there.”

Celtic head to Portugal back in control of matters at home. No matter the noises from Parkhead, the SPL has taken a back seat during these opening months of the season, subconsciously or otherwise.

Lennon’s side failed to win just eight league games all last season and have already slipped up in six this term, including three in a row before Saturday.

There was no such problems at Pittodrie though as they eventually got the better of stubborn Aberdeen.

It was not the prettiest to watch at times but it was an admirable test to pass given the backdrop. The Dons are no soft touch these days and 18,000 packed into Pittodrie to demand their side proved to the Celts they are genuine title rivals.

It didn’t work out that way. Celtic dug deep and ground out the result.

Lassad’s 73rd-minute opener broke the home team’s resistance and Charlie Mulgrew wrapped up the points.

Lustig admitted it has been tough to fight on two fronts and was relieved to see the Hoops move top of the table.

He said: “It is nice to play football when you win. Aberdeen was a tough game but we showed we are champions and put on a really strong performance.

“We want to win every league game. We had dropped points in our last three games and were determined to get back to winning ways.

“Maybe the Champions League has had a bearing but we have tried to stay focused to do well in the SPL.

“We haven’t been resting players to save them for the Champions League. We can’t afford to do that.

“We want to win every SPL game but we know we hadn’t been at our best in the last three.”

Lustig is determined to stay on top in Scotland and admits he can’t see Celtic in a second-tier Euro league any time soon.

Chief executive Peter Lawwell revealed at the Parkhead AGM last week that Celtic are in talks with clubs on the continent about creating a regional set-up to help bridge the gap to the Champions League.

It could see Celtic, and potentially Rangers, up against sides from Scandinavia as well as countries such as Holland and Belgium.

Lustig has heard it before. He was involved in a Scandinavian competition during his time in Norway with Rosenborg.

The Royal League ran at the end of the season between the top four clubs in Sweden, Denmark and Norway but the tournament flopped and was binned after failing to secure a TV deal in 2008.

It remains to be seen if a wider Euro competition, backed by UEFA, would fly but Lustig knows Celtic would be a big draw in Scandinavia.

He said: “A European League would be difficult. I have never thought about it and it could be a while away.

“They used to have a competition during the winter with teams from Sweden and Denmark. It lasted three or for years.

“I think there would be big interest in Celtic, especially in Sweden.

“They are a massive team and have had a lot of famous players from there so there would definitely be interest.”

Never mind a Euro league for now. The only one that matters for Celtic is the Champions League.